KAILA ROBBINS
Superchick- Breathe
Please tell me, you’ll fight this fight
I can’t see without your light
I need you to breathe into my life.
Don’t tell me this is goodbye.
I won’t grieve, its not yet time.
Each breathe breathed is keeping hope alive.
So keep breathing, go on breathing
Keep on breathing, go on breathing
Just breathe.
Each breathe breathed means we’re alive
And life means that we can find the reasons to keep on getting by.
And if reasons we can’t find we will make up some to get by
Till breathe by breathe we’ll leave this behind
So keep breathing, go on breathing
Keep on breathing, go on breathing
Just breathe
All you have to do is breathe.
All you have to do is breathe.
So keep breathing, go on breathing
Keep on breathing, go on breathing.
(repeat twice)
Just breathe
Rhetorical Analysis
For the rhetorical analysis of a song, I chose the band Superchick. They have several good songs with awesome meaning. My favorite of these songs is called Breathe.
In this song, the writer is talking about a hard time in her life. She is talking to God and herself. In the first line she says, “Please tell me you’ll fight this fight, I can’t see without your light.” Here, she is talking to God. She is asking him for help and to show here the way so she does not lose hope.
The writer is grieving over something. It might be a death or a relationship that has ended. Either way she is very upset and ready to give up. In the chorus, she is telling herself to keep breathing. She repeats this several times to herself. She is reminded that there is still hope, no matter what.
The writer goes on to say, “Each breathe breathed means we’re alive and life means that we can find the reasons to keep on getting by.” Here, also, she is reminding herself that there is still hope. If she keeps breathing, it will all pass soon enough. She goes on to say that if there are no reasons she find to get by on, then she will make up some to keep on getting by so she doesn’t lose hope or faith. In my terms, she knows that giving up will not do her any good. It will just make things worse, a permanent solution to a temporary problem. Therefore, she must keep breathing and just get by.
I think the writer uses very strong pathos in this song. She knows that there are many people who are facing problems and need the extra boost of encouragement. For example, I was going through a really hard time in my life, when I first heard this song. It tugged on my “heart strings” very much. I cried A LOT!
The band, Superchick, is very popular in Christian music. Therefore, the writer has ethos. The band is very creditable for good music with good meanings. I know many people who listen to their music, ranging from young to old.
The song is very persuasive. The music video, on the other hand, is not. The video was not put together by the band. A girl just threw some photos together and the song in the background. The pictures do not really match the song at all. They are just pictures of sad girls with angel wings. The song talks about NOT loosing hope, but the pictures do not reflect that at all. The visuals take away from the song. They make it harder to understand because you are more focused on the sad girls than the words to the song. The director of the video had no strategy in composing the video. They just threw some sad pictures together and called it a day.
In my opinion, the song is amazing and very encouraging. It speaks to people in many different ways, depending on their situation.
Link to video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUEtrsohCEs
Monday, February 9, 2009
"Ras Trent" The lonely Island
“Ras Trent” A Comical Truth
The song “Ras Trent” by The Lonely Island, argues that the people who practice the Rastafarian religion smoke marijuana regularly, are from a ghetto culture, and hate people with bald heads. The
The
The phrase bald heads is repeated again in the phrase “Have you ever noticed how bald-heads suck? Ba-da-da ding-ding-ding dong-dand ding dong duck!” The authors choose use humor and repetition to show you that this must be a term that is very important and used frequently in the Rastafarian religion. Another humorous quote from the song that works well and gives a less threatening tone to the song is “Are you there Jah? It’s me, Ras Trent.” The
The video portion of “Ras Trent” adds more in depth descriptions of the Rasta Religion that makes the lyrics of the song make more sense. In the beginning of the music video Ras is dressed in very tacky thrift store clothes that look like a person were in the 1960’s, with long blond dreadlocks which just makes the character of Ras look even more ridiculous. The director of this video probably chooses this type of look, due to the fact that most people who follow the Rasta religion are expected to have dreadlocks, and have tackier looking clothes because of their poor culture.
link to video: http://www.nbc.com/Saturday_Night_Live/video/clips/digital-short-ras-trent/787281/
"We Are One Tonight" by Switchfoot
In the song “We Are One Tonight” by Switchfoot, the band talks about unity among the whole world. In a world that seems to be falling apart more and more every day, this song promises that there is still hope out there. Everyone goes through hardships in life, and if people are willing to share these hard times with those around them, this will bring them closer together and in a sense, make them one. Life seems to become more meaningful to a person after they realize that it is better to work together and share with each other in this life than it is to always just be complaining about their own troubles. “We built these cities to stand so tall, we’ve lost, our walls.” I see this as an example of logos in the song, because this is so true in our world today. Huge cities are always being built and terrorists are always plotting on how to destroy these buildings and cities. In the past few years, many cities have been destroyed by terrorist attacks and also by natural disasters. There is really no way to avoid these attacks; they are just a part of life. “I don’t want to lose you coming down, with the whole world upside down.” People need to learn to deal with these types of attacks and stay united through them, rather than allowing situations like this to tear them away from the rest of the world.
“We are one tonight and we’re dreaming out loud…Though the world is flawed these scars will heal.” When someone dreams out loud, or talks about their dreams with their friends and family, the friends and family can encourage the person to strive to achieve these dreams. Many dreams seem impossible in this day and age, but if someone is confident and never gives up, they are sure to achieve their dreams. The world is flawed, therefore, someone will not be successful every time that they try something, but if they get over their failure and try again, their “scars will heal” and they should be stronger in the end.
“Let’s slow the evening down, slow it down, slow down…Please slow down, down, down…The stars are coming out.” At the end of the day, a person will often stop to think back over what they have accomplished that day. For many of us, if we think of our day in prospective to the day of many other people in the world, every day should be a great day. People in this country seem to be so concerned about themselves, that they rarely take time to notice the other people and the beauty around them. I believe that it would do everyone a world of good to look at the stars more often, as it gives us a different prospective. We are all a part of the world, but we are not the only part, and there are other parts that are much greater than us.
The video for this song is really neat. It shows many different people doing many different things. One person is doing something and then the video moves smoothly to a different person making the same movement, but doing something entirely different. The video illustrates that although people have a wide variety of interests and they many not all enjoy doing the same types of activities, they are all still connected to each other.
The “We Are One Tonight” video gets its message across very well. When people with differences work together, they can accomplish amazing things. This will also help to draw people closer together and create unity, which is exactly what the video portrays.
I really like this song, and believe that it has a great message and that the video for the song also helps get the message across even further. At a time when our world is in complete destruction, people need to keep dreaming and will succeed with greater results if they allow other people to come along side them to offer their help and encouragement. This song provides hope for those that might be ready to give up; if someone lets the words of this song really sink in, they should be ready to allow their friends into their life a little more and then continue to live.
Link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPTsAOIJh6M
Link to the lyrics: http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/lyrics/new/track.asp?track_id=2608
“We are one tonight and we’re dreaming out loud…Though the world is flawed these scars will heal.” When someone dreams out loud, or talks about their dreams with their friends and family, the friends and family can encourage the person to strive to achieve these dreams. Many dreams seem impossible in this day and age, but if someone is confident and never gives up, they are sure to achieve their dreams. The world is flawed, therefore, someone will not be successful every time that they try something, but if they get over their failure and try again, their “scars will heal” and they should be stronger in the end.
“Let’s slow the evening down, slow it down, slow down…Please slow down, down, down…The stars are coming out.” At the end of the day, a person will often stop to think back over what they have accomplished that day. For many of us, if we think of our day in prospective to the day of many other people in the world, every day should be a great day. People in this country seem to be so concerned about themselves, that they rarely take time to notice the other people and the beauty around them. I believe that it would do everyone a world of good to look at the stars more often, as it gives us a different prospective. We are all a part of the world, but we are not the only part, and there are other parts that are much greater than us.
The video for this song is really neat. It shows many different people doing many different things. One person is doing something and then the video moves smoothly to a different person making the same movement, but doing something entirely different. The video illustrates that although people have a wide variety of interests and they many not all enjoy doing the same types of activities, they are all still connected to each other.
The “We Are One Tonight” video gets its message across very well. When people with differences work together, they can accomplish amazing things. This will also help to draw people closer together and create unity, which is exactly what the video portrays.
I really like this song, and believe that it has a great message and that the video for the song also helps get the message across even further. At a time when our world is in complete destruction, people need to keep dreaming and will succeed with greater results if they allow other people to come along side them to offer their help and encouragement. This song provides hope for those that might be ready to give up; if someone lets the words of this song really sink in, they should be ready to allow their friends into their life a little more and then continue to live.
Link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uPTsAOIJh6M
Link to the lyrics: http://www.jesusfreakhideout.com/lyrics/new/track.asp?track_id=2608
"If I Were a Boy" By Beyonce
"If I Were a Boy" By Beyonce
Beyonce makes an effective argument centered on a clear thesis. Her tone is gentle and slow but catchy with a good point. She starts this with her first words, “If I Were a Boy” she repeats this lyric throughout her song keeping her audience focused that this song is about “If I were a boy” Beyonce’s purpose is to draw in her audience right away to feel what it is like to be a boy, even for a day. These words hook you into the song and you wonder where she is going with it. Her lyrics tell us the story of role reversal. She explores what it would be like if she did all the things her man did to her every day. The woman in the song has been taken for granted. There's a fairly strong message here for guys that they should pay close attention to “you don’t listen to her, you don’t care how it hurts until you lose the one you wanted ‘cause you have taken her for granted and everything you had got destroyed” “but you are just a boy.” If a man could have a woman's sense of empathy, things would be different. Beyonce tells us she is able to love a woman better because she knows how it feels to have her heart broken. It is a commentary on the double standards that that often exist between men and women.
Through Beyonce’s lyrics we can feel her ethos. She persuades her audience through her creditability by releasing numerous hit songs, acting in big-time films and being ever-present in the media and on stage. She is certainly an influential powerhouse in her own right. She has an awesome voice and original songwriting. The character appeals to us because she is representing all the women who have ever been hurt or disappointed. The girl is confused because she does not understand why the boy she loves is treating her poorly by doing what the stereotypical male does in a relationship. She's not referring to all men referencing only to ones who do not pay attention or treat their lady the way she should be treated. She persuades us to experience and perceive from a boy’s perspective. “I’d roll out of bed in the morning and throw on whatever I wanted and go drink beer with the guys and chase after girls, I’d kick it with whom I wanted and I’d never get confronted for it cause they’d stick up for me.”
The song utilizes the logical appeal to help encourage its audience to buy into the idea that we could fantasize ourselves as the other person. She presents herself as her boyfriend. She starts her story by rolling out of bed and living her day as him. She can be the average person on an average day. She suggests that the problem is universal. This isn't a breakup song; it's a song for female empowerment. We know that no amount of money, fame or skill can solve the basic injustice between her man's heart and her own.
By using pathos Beyonce appeals to our heart. She gives us a controlled but emotional vocal performance. Her lyrics make us feel for her and for ourselves. I know what it feels like to be involved with someone who takes me for granted. This song could be my song. The line that hit me the hardest was “If I were a boy I would turn off my phone, tell everyone it’s broken so they think that I was sleeping alone. I’d put myself first and make up the rules as I go ‘because I know that she would be faithful, waiting for me to come home.” Beyonce’s last verse starts with “It’s a little too late for you to come back say it’s just a mistake, think I’d forgive you like that? This tells us no matter what, she is a survivor and it may have taken time for her to realize but she is no longer going to be taken for granted.
Beyonce’s video takes us on her journey as she experiences being a boy for a day. The video is shot in black and white and portrays a narrative about an ordinary day for a couple in a role reversal. It begins with Beyonce and her man reciting words such as "honesty", "intimacy", and "commitment." The song starts as her man prepares breakfast and she takes off to her job as police officer with an attractive male police partner. Her man is at the office looking at earrings for her online. He calls her and she ignores him because she is out having a beer with her friends. She is later caught dancing intimately with her partner. He confronts her at home. It is all about the little things that mean so much in a relationship and at the end of the clip; the reversal is known and restored. You realize that she was acting out his life, and it all starts over again. He was the cop and everything that happened was really him doing the same thing to her. . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVTyLqkez6A
By Dee Guarino
Beyonce makes an effective argument centered on a clear thesis. Her tone is gentle and slow but catchy with a good point. She starts this with her first words, “If I Were a Boy” she repeats this lyric throughout her song keeping her audience focused that this song is about “If I were a boy” Beyonce’s purpose is to draw in her audience right away to feel what it is like to be a boy, even for a day. These words hook you into the song and you wonder where she is going with it. Her lyrics tell us the story of role reversal. She explores what it would be like if she did all the things her man did to her every day. The woman in the song has been taken for granted. There's a fairly strong message here for guys that they should pay close attention to “you don’t listen to her, you don’t care how it hurts until you lose the one you wanted ‘cause you have taken her for granted and everything you had got destroyed” “but you are just a boy.” If a man could have a woman's sense of empathy, things would be different. Beyonce tells us she is able to love a woman better because she knows how it feels to have her heart broken. It is a commentary on the double standards that that often exist between men and women.
Through Beyonce’s lyrics we can feel her ethos. She persuades her audience through her creditability by releasing numerous hit songs, acting in big-time films and being ever-present in the media and on stage. She is certainly an influential powerhouse in her own right. She has an awesome voice and original songwriting. The character appeals to us because she is representing all the women who have ever been hurt or disappointed. The girl is confused because she does not understand why the boy she loves is treating her poorly by doing what the stereotypical male does in a relationship. She's not referring to all men referencing only to ones who do not pay attention or treat their lady the way she should be treated. She persuades us to experience and perceive from a boy’s perspective. “I’d roll out of bed in the morning and throw on whatever I wanted and go drink beer with the guys and chase after girls, I’d kick it with whom I wanted and I’d never get confronted for it cause they’d stick up for me.”
The song utilizes the logical appeal to help encourage its audience to buy into the idea that we could fantasize ourselves as the other person. She presents herself as her boyfriend. She starts her story by rolling out of bed and living her day as him. She can be the average person on an average day. She suggests that the problem is universal. This isn't a breakup song; it's a song for female empowerment. We know that no amount of money, fame or skill can solve the basic injustice between her man's heart and her own.
By using pathos Beyonce appeals to our heart. She gives us a controlled but emotional vocal performance. Her lyrics make us feel for her and for ourselves. I know what it feels like to be involved with someone who takes me for granted. This song could be my song. The line that hit me the hardest was “If I were a boy I would turn off my phone, tell everyone it’s broken so they think that I was sleeping alone. I’d put myself first and make up the rules as I go ‘because I know that she would be faithful, waiting for me to come home.” Beyonce’s last verse starts with “It’s a little too late for you to come back say it’s just a mistake, think I’d forgive you like that? This tells us no matter what, she is a survivor and it may have taken time for her to realize but she is no longer going to be taken for granted.
Beyonce’s video takes us on her journey as she experiences being a boy for a day. The video is shot in black and white and portrays a narrative about an ordinary day for a couple in a role reversal. It begins with Beyonce and her man reciting words such as "honesty", "intimacy", and "commitment." The song starts as her man prepares breakfast and she takes off to her job as police officer with an attractive male police partner. Her man is at the office looking at earrings for her online. He calls her and she ignores him because she is out having a beer with her friends. She is later caught dancing intimately with her partner. He confronts her at home. It is all about the little things that mean so much in a relationship and at the end of the clip; the reversal is known and restored. You realize that she was acting out his life, and it all starts over again. He was the cop and everything that happened was really him doing the same thing to her. . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BVTyLqkez6A
By Dee Guarino
Sunday, February 8, 2009
draft
I chose to do a song by Brooks and Dun. It is one of my favorite songs of all time. To me it represents life in general. The song is about a guy who is born in a rural area on a red dirt road, and explains his story of life that is centered around this one place that he calls home. The song explains that not only people experiences good times in life but also hard or trying times in life.
I believe that the song also in a hinting way tells us as the listeners that as long as we are happy with the life that we are living that is all that matters. We can go out into the world and think that it is such a nice place to be in, but when it comes down to it in the end home is the best place to be. The song Red Dirt Road by Brooks and Dun is a song about life itself. We all grow up in a certain area, and do things that we will never forget. Because those things are so special in our hearts whether good or bad.
In the song Red Dirt Road by Brooks and Dun the singers and song writers use a lot of rhetoric, but the most significant form of rhetoric that I found in the song was pathos. Which is emotional appeals or appeals to the heart. Basically the whole choirs is nothing but pathos. The first part of the choirs says “It’s where I drank my first beer”. This statement to me is very appealing to the heart because most people are going to remember when and where they had their first beer. The second line says “It’s where I found Jesus.” This line is also very appealing to the heart. “Where I wrecked my first car.” is the third line of the choirs. This line is more on the imagery side of things than pathos. Everyone can look back in their lives and say yes, that was defiantly not a good experience that they went through, but it is something that happens in life.
“I learned the path to Heaven is full of sinners and believers.” is the fifth and sixth lines of the choirs which has a lot of logos behind it I believe. Not everyone is going to do the right things in life, but you have to choose whether to live an honest life or not. The seventh and eighth lines of the choirs are “Learned that happiness on earth, Ain’t just for high achievers”. This statement has a logos appeal. It states that yes, some people have to be the very best, and keep raising their bar or status in society. Yet, some people are perfectly content with what they have, and don’t need to keep raising their bar. They are fine with being normal.
In the first verse of the song the singers use a lot of imagery it basically sums up a boys child hood into his teenage years. The second verse of the song describes the boys childish love for the girl in the first verse. It shares what most of us did with our first loves. Once again this verse uses a lot of imagery and pathos. Where it says “I’d sneak out in the middle of the night. Throw rocks at her bedroom window.” I believe is the best example of those two rhetorical strategies in the verse. In the third verse it basically says that the boy left home and then came back eventually. He lost his girl, but got her back in the end. It is a strong example of pathos because it is very touching. Everyone likes to see a happy ending with a couple.
In the music video it shows a guy seeing this girl on the side of the road and they hit it off and start talking while they are walking down the road. This image to the listener/watcher would probably bring back memories about their first love. The music video allows the viewer to make that connection quite well. In the video there are numerous time that religion is brought up whether it be subtle like where someone is picking up the rear view mirror ornament with a cross and a heart, or the more significant point where the kid in the stream is getting baptized. Finding god is a very important part of life in the songwriters perspective, but on the other hand there are always the certain few who are going to be rebellious. Like I said in the introduction people are going to do what makes them happy whether they are with god or not in the writers view.
There is a part in the video where you see a guy and a girl on the hood of a jacked up truck in the middle of the night looking up at the stars and then start to kiss. This is all really emotionally appealing to the heart. Everyone who has really been in love can relate to this incident. It is a part of life and the writer incorporates this very nicely into the video. In the video like religion it shows people having fun such as swinging off of a rope into a stream, swimming, sitting out in the sun with the one you love. It’s saying that live life and have fun. You should be who you are and not let anyone dictate who you should be. You should be whoever you want to be. Like the text says “Learned that happiness on earth, Ain’t just for high achievers.” you don’t have to do much if you don’t want to just as long as you are happy.
So in conclusion this song to me represents life in general. First, people are going to be who they want to be whether good or bad it is up to them to decide. Secondly, love is a major part of life, as shown in the music video, it drives us to do some pretty crazy stuff sometimes like throwing rocks at a bedroom window and sneaking out in the middle of the night even though their parents don’t like you very much.
People do some pretty crazy things in life, whether good or bad. They fall in love, find god and so on, but in the end they live their lives exactly the way they want to. You know what that’s exactly what they wanted. So don’t be afraid to live your life and possibly come back where it all started home.
lyrics
I was raised off of Route Three, Out past where the black top ends.We'd walk to Church on Sunday mornings,Race barefoot back to Johnson's fence.That's where I first saw Mary,On that roadside pickin' blackberries.That summer I turned a corner in my soul,Down that red dirt road.It's where I drank my first beer.It's where I found Jesus.Where I wrecked my first car:I tore it all to pieces.I learned the path to Heaven,Is full of sinners an' believers.Learned that happiness on earth,Ain't just for high achievers.I've learned; I come to know,There's life at both ends,Of that red dirt road.Her Daddy didn't like me much,In my shackled up GTO.Oh, I'd sneak out in the middle of the night,Throw rocks at her bedroom window.We'd turn out the headlights,Drive by the moonlight.Talk about what the future might hold,Down that red dirt road.It's where I drank my first beer.It's where I found Jesus.Where I wrecked my first car:I tore it all to pieces.I learned the path to Heaven,Is full of sinners an' believers.Learned that happiness on earth,Ain't just for high achievers.I've learned; I come to know,There's life at both ends,Of that red dirt road.I went out into the world,An' I came back in.I lost Mary: Oh, I got her back again.An' drivin' home tonight,Feels like I've found a long-lost friend.It's where I drank my first beer.It's where I found Jesus.Where I wrecked my first car:I tore it all to pieces.I learned the path to Heaven,Is full of sinners an' believers.Learned that happiness on earth,Ain't just for high achievers.I've learned; I come to know,There's life at both ends,Of that red dirt road.
I believe that the song also in a hinting way tells us as the listeners that as long as we are happy with the life that we are living that is all that matters. We can go out into the world and think that it is such a nice place to be in, but when it comes down to it in the end home is the best place to be. The song Red Dirt Road by Brooks and Dun is a song about life itself. We all grow up in a certain area, and do things that we will never forget. Because those things are so special in our hearts whether good or bad.
In the song Red Dirt Road by Brooks and Dun the singers and song writers use a lot of rhetoric, but the most significant form of rhetoric that I found in the song was pathos. Which is emotional appeals or appeals to the heart. Basically the whole choirs is nothing but pathos. The first part of the choirs says “It’s where I drank my first beer”. This statement to me is very appealing to the heart because most people are going to remember when and where they had their first beer. The second line says “It’s where I found Jesus.” This line is also very appealing to the heart. “Where I wrecked my first car.” is the third line of the choirs. This line is more on the imagery side of things than pathos. Everyone can look back in their lives and say yes, that was defiantly not a good experience that they went through, but it is something that happens in life.
“I learned the path to Heaven is full of sinners and believers.” is the fifth and sixth lines of the choirs which has a lot of logos behind it I believe. Not everyone is going to do the right things in life, but you have to choose whether to live an honest life or not. The seventh and eighth lines of the choirs are “Learned that happiness on earth, Ain’t just for high achievers”. This statement has a logos appeal. It states that yes, some people have to be the very best, and keep raising their bar or status in society. Yet, some people are perfectly content with what they have, and don’t need to keep raising their bar. They are fine with being normal.
In the first verse of the song the singers use a lot of imagery it basically sums up a boys child hood into his teenage years. The second verse of the song describes the boys childish love for the girl in the first verse. It shares what most of us did with our first loves. Once again this verse uses a lot of imagery and pathos. Where it says “I’d sneak out in the middle of the night. Throw rocks at her bedroom window.” I believe is the best example of those two rhetorical strategies in the verse. In the third verse it basically says that the boy left home and then came back eventually. He lost his girl, but got her back in the end. It is a strong example of pathos because it is very touching. Everyone likes to see a happy ending with a couple.
In the music video it shows a guy seeing this girl on the side of the road and they hit it off and start talking while they are walking down the road. This image to the listener/watcher would probably bring back memories about their first love. The music video allows the viewer to make that connection quite well. In the video there are numerous time that religion is brought up whether it be subtle like where someone is picking up the rear view mirror ornament with a cross and a heart, or the more significant point where the kid in the stream is getting baptized. Finding god is a very important part of life in the songwriters perspective, but on the other hand there are always the certain few who are going to be rebellious. Like I said in the introduction people are going to do what makes them happy whether they are with god or not in the writers view.
There is a part in the video where you see a guy and a girl on the hood of a jacked up truck in the middle of the night looking up at the stars and then start to kiss. This is all really emotionally appealing to the heart. Everyone who has really been in love can relate to this incident. It is a part of life and the writer incorporates this very nicely into the video. In the video like religion it shows people having fun such as swinging off of a rope into a stream, swimming, sitting out in the sun with the one you love. It’s saying that live life and have fun. You should be who you are and not let anyone dictate who you should be. You should be whoever you want to be. Like the text says “Learned that happiness on earth, Ain’t just for high achievers.” you don’t have to do much if you don’t want to just as long as you are happy.
So in conclusion this song to me represents life in general. First, people are going to be who they want to be whether good or bad it is up to them to decide. Secondly, love is a major part of life, as shown in the music video, it drives us to do some pretty crazy stuff sometimes like throwing rocks at a bedroom window and sneaking out in the middle of the night even though their parents don’t like you very much.
People do some pretty crazy things in life, whether good or bad. They fall in love, find god and so on, but in the end they live their lives exactly the way they want to. You know what that’s exactly what they wanted. So don’t be afraid to live your life and possibly come back where it all started home.
lyrics
I was raised off of Route Three, Out past where the black top ends.We'd walk to Church on Sunday mornings,Race barefoot back to Johnson's fence.That's where I first saw Mary,On that roadside pickin' blackberries.That summer I turned a corner in my soul,Down that red dirt road.It's where I drank my first beer.It's where I found Jesus.Where I wrecked my first car:I tore it all to pieces.I learned the path to Heaven,Is full of sinners an' believers.Learned that happiness on earth,Ain't just for high achievers.I've learned; I come to know,There's life at both ends,Of that red dirt road.Her Daddy didn't like me much,In my shackled up GTO.Oh, I'd sneak out in the middle of the night,Throw rocks at her bedroom window.We'd turn out the headlights,Drive by the moonlight.Talk about what the future might hold,Down that red dirt road.It's where I drank my first beer.It's where I found Jesus.Where I wrecked my first car:I tore it all to pieces.I learned the path to Heaven,Is full of sinners an' believers.Learned that happiness on earth,Ain't just for high achievers.I've learned; I come to know,There's life at both ends,Of that red dirt road.I went out into the world,An' I came back in.I lost Mary: Oh, I got her back again.An' drivin' home tonight,Feels like I've found a long-lost friend.It's where I drank my first beer.It's where I found Jesus.Where I wrecked my first car:I tore it all to pieces.I learned the path to Heaven,Is full of sinners an' believers.Learned that happiness on earth,Ain't just for high achievers.I've learned; I come to know,There's life at both ends,Of that red dirt road.
12 Stones- Lie to Me
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z7_FzFRuen0
In the 12 Stones song “Lie to Me” the singer is trying to argue that this girl whom he was in a relationship with would lie to him and in a sense stabbed him in the back. From the song it’s easy to see that he’s hurt by this and is sick of her ways. The lyrics are very convincing in his argument and they’re put together well. He states how she has lied to him and has betrayed him and that he’s sick of it. The video adds to the argument of the song, but it could have been stronger. It takes place in an old broken down house and it shows the band and then a girl in a white dress. The video doesn’t have much of a storyline so it could have been put together to have a bigger effect on the lyrics and the argument of the song.
The first line in the song is “Our candle burns away, the ashes full of lies;” this is very nice word choice because it kind of puts a picture in your mind, and it’s a metaphor describing their relationship as the candle and as it burns it turns to lies. It’s clear in this song that this girl has betrayed him on numerous occasions. Strong lines in the chorus are: “Don’t act like an angel, you’ve fallen again, you’re no superhero,” and “So lie to me once again and tell me everything will be alright.” These clearly state that this girl has lied to him and has betrayed him more than just once. These lines are used in the chorus so they are repeated a few times throughout the song, it’s effective because the lines are very clear and get the point across to the listener so it makes sense for them to be in the chorus. Listeners can hear from the song that the artist is hurt by the way this girl has betrayed him. In the second verse he states, “You said you were there for me, wouldn’t let me fall. All the times I shared with you, were you even there at all?” This says a lot because it’s showing that he had his heart in the relationship and she made it seem like she did too, but he found out later that she really didn’t; as if she almost wasn’t there at all in the first place. In the last verse of the song the lyrics say, “I want to close my eyes and make believe that I never found you. Just when I put my guard away, it’s the same old story. You left me broken and betrayed, it’s the same old story.” In this line the lyrics directly state that he wishes he never met this girl and wishes he could erase her from his memory. It also adds to his argument that she has betrayed him because it directly states the fact. The lyrics to this song are very effective because they’re direct and to the point making the argument that it’s about a girl who has deceived and betrayed him in a relationship.
The video that was used for this song added to the lyrics but it could have been stronger. The video takes place in an old broken down home. Inside, all of the band members are shown playing the song in these digital boxes, and there is a whole bunch of old wood and debris around the boxes all through the home. In one of the boxes is a girl in a white dress and they used effects to make it look like the wind is blowing on her. The fact that the video takes place in an old broken down home adds to the lyrics because it almost acts as a metaphor of their relationship. The song portrays the ending or “breakdown” of their relationship and the old house and debris scattered throughout the house represent the ending of their relationship. The fact that the girl is in a white dress also adds to the song because in the chorus the lyrics say, “Don’t act like an angel, you’ve fallen again;” and usually people associate the color white with purity and angels. Also, towards the end of the music video they show her falling which goes with the line, “You’ve fallen again.” At the very end of the music video when the song is ending, the lead singer breaks out of his box and stands in front of the box that the girl is in and looks at her and walks away. They showed this in the video at the end of the song because it’s representing him walking away from the relationship.
When listening to a song, it’s important that the listener hear the lyrics to understand the message that the singer is trying to get across. In this case, the lyrics are talking about a relationship and in it the girl has betrayed the guy. There are many different ways people can look at literature and come up with a meaning.
In the 12 Stones song “Lie to Me” the singer is trying to argue that this girl whom he was in a relationship with would lie to him and in a sense stabbed him in the back. From the song it’s easy to see that he’s hurt by this and is sick of her ways. The lyrics are very convincing in his argument and they’re put together well. He states how she has lied to him and has betrayed him and that he’s sick of it. The video adds to the argument of the song, but it could have been stronger. It takes place in an old broken down house and it shows the band and then a girl in a white dress. The video doesn’t have much of a storyline so it could have been put together to have a bigger effect on the lyrics and the argument of the song.
The first line in the song is “Our candle burns away, the ashes full of lies;” this is very nice word choice because it kind of puts a picture in your mind, and it’s a metaphor describing their relationship as the candle and as it burns it turns to lies. It’s clear in this song that this girl has betrayed him on numerous occasions. Strong lines in the chorus are: “Don’t act like an angel, you’ve fallen again, you’re no superhero,” and “So lie to me once again and tell me everything will be alright.” These clearly state that this girl has lied to him and has betrayed him more than just once. These lines are used in the chorus so they are repeated a few times throughout the song, it’s effective because the lines are very clear and get the point across to the listener so it makes sense for them to be in the chorus. Listeners can hear from the song that the artist is hurt by the way this girl has betrayed him. In the second verse he states, “You said you were there for me, wouldn’t let me fall. All the times I shared with you, were you even there at all?” This says a lot because it’s showing that he had his heart in the relationship and she made it seem like she did too, but he found out later that she really didn’t; as if she almost wasn’t there at all in the first place. In the last verse of the song the lyrics say, “I want to close my eyes and make believe that I never found you. Just when I put my guard away, it’s the same old story. You left me broken and betrayed, it’s the same old story.” In this line the lyrics directly state that he wishes he never met this girl and wishes he could erase her from his memory. It also adds to his argument that she has betrayed him because it directly states the fact. The lyrics to this song are very effective because they’re direct and to the point making the argument that it’s about a girl who has deceived and betrayed him in a relationship.
The video that was used for this song added to the lyrics but it could have been stronger. The video takes place in an old broken down home. Inside, all of the band members are shown playing the song in these digital boxes, and there is a whole bunch of old wood and debris around the boxes all through the home. In one of the boxes is a girl in a white dress and they used effects to make it look like the wind is blowing on her. The fact that the video takes place in an old broken down home adds to the lyrics because it almost acts as a metaphor of their relationship. The song portrays the ending or “breakdown” of their relationship and the old house and debris scattered throughout the house represent the ending of their relationship. The fact that the girl is in a white dress also adds to the song because in the chorus the lyrics say, “Don’t act like an angel, you’ve fallen again;” and usually people associate the color white with purity and angels. Also, towards the end of the music video they show her falling which goes with the line, “You’ve fallen again.” At the very end of the music video when the song is ending, the lead singer breaks out of his box and stands in front of the box that the girl is in and looks at her and walks away. They showed this in the video at the end of the song because it’s representing him walking away from the relationship.
When listening to a song, it’s important that the listener hear the lyrics to understand the message that the singer is trying to get across. In this case, the lyrics are talking about a relationship and in it the girl has betrayed the guy. There are many different ways people can look at literature and come up with a meaning.
"If I Were a Boy"
Loren Householder
“If I Were a Boy”
Beyonce
In her song “If I Were a Boy,” Beyonce argues that many women are trapped in bad relationships and never take the time to question how they truly desire to be treated. To confirm this, Beyonce is attempting to look at her unhealthy relationship as if she were in her significant others shoes. She makes an effort to develop an understanding of what it is like to be the man in the relationship, and see how he can just passively mistreat a girl. Beyonce later discovers that she would treat others how she would want to be treated because she understands how it is to be hurt by someone. She also finds that most guys do not care whether or not their significant others are suffering because of their actions. Beyonce establishes credibility for her lyrics by using the three appeals: pathos, ethos, and logos. These appeals are utilized to influence her audience, not let a man control their lives, but live there lives the way they want, and find a man that can treat them better than they have been treated in their past. Also, the use of repetition and form are used to establish her points within the song. Lastly, she wants her listeners to visualize how it could be if they were the other person, and question whether or not their outlook would be different.
Beyonce uses pathos, the first of the three appeals in her song by using very descriptive phrases. When she states, “I’d listen to her, `cause I know how it hurts,” Beyonce is telling her audience that she understands what it is like to be hurt, and that if she were a boy, she would treat her women better because she could understand where she was coming from. This tugs at the listener’s heart because you can see that she has been emotionally hurt from a past relationship. Also, many people can relate to what she is disclosing. It is human nature for people to get emotionally damaged in a relationship and therefore her feelings are empathized. She also uses syntax by the way she orders her words by telling a story. If the song was not in story form, it would not produce the great impact that it does.
Furthermore, Beyonce utilizes ethos or the appeals based on the writer’s authority and credibility to influence her writing. Because Beyonce is a universally known pop superstar, she posses the ability to influence many people. She establishes her credibility by showing her respect and honesty to her audience. She makes reasonable claims by singing about a topic that most relationships can relate to. This song like many others she has sung, posses the ability to make a difference in the lives of her listeners.
Beyonce also uses the third appeal, logos, based on facts and hard evidence.. As someone who went through a rough time in a relationship herself, she makes it known in her lyrics. She is using reason and common sense in her song also, “I’d kick it with who I wanted and I’d never get confronted for it,” because some men are not concerned whether they are unfaithful or not.
Other than using pathos, ethos, and logos in her song, Beyonce uses rhetoric to persuade her audience. By stating, “It’s a little too late for you to come back, Say it’s just a mistake, think I’d forgive you like that, If you thought I would wait for you, You got it all wrong,” Beyonce is persuading her listeners to take control over their love lives and find someone that is reliable and worth their affection. On the other hand she is persuading us to understand how a man thinks and accept that is just how they are by saying, “But you’re just a boy, And you don’t understand, How it feels to love a girl someday, You wish you were a better man, You don’t listen to her, You don’t care how it hurts.” This could also mean that no matter how much she tried to be in his shoes he’ll never understand where she is coming from, and she’ll never understand why he will not change. Beyonce could possibly be using these words to tell her audience no matter how hard you try to rationalize the situation in your head; a man is a man, and some just can not be changed.
In her video, Beyonce places herself in the man’s shoes by switching roles as she plays the position of a cop and he plays a secretary in an office. She is out all night and he begins to call looking for her, while he is at home being faithful. She never answers her phone because she is out with another man. This goes with her lines, “If I were a boy, I would turn off my phone, Tell everyone it’s broken so they think that I was sleeping alone, I’d put myself first and make the rules as I go, Cause I know that she’d be faithful, waiting for me to come home.” She is using rhetoric to persuade her audience that a man does not care whether he is out all night with another girl because he knows that his significant other will be waiting at home for him. At the end of the music video, they switch roles again and he could care less that she did not like him being out all night with another girl, “But you’re just a boy, And you don’t understand.” Beyonce’s song “If I were a boy” is important because it gives a voice to women that I believe needed to be heard for many years. It is important to bring these types of situations to listeners so they sense they are not the only ones.
Lyrics:
If I were a boy even just for a day
I'd roll out of bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted
And go drink beer with the guys
And chase after girlsI'd kick it with who I wanted
And I'd never get confronted for it
'Cause they stick up for meIf I were a boyI think I could understand
How it feels to love a girlI swear I'd be a better man
I'd listen to her'Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted'Cause he's taking you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
If I were a boyI would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it's brokenSo they'd think that I was sleeping alone
I'd put myself first
And make the rules as I go
'Cause I know that she'd be faithful
Waiting for me to come home, to come home
If I were a boyI think I could understand
How it feels to love a girlI swear I'd be a better man
I'd listen to her'Cause I know how it huts
When you lose the one you wanted'Cause he's taking you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
It's a little too late for you to come back
Say it's just a mistake
Think I'd forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong
But you're just a boy
And you don't understand, ohHow it feels to love a girl
Someday you wish you were a better man
You don't listen to her
You don't care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted'Cause you're taking her for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
But you're just a boy
“If I Were a Boy”
Beyonce
In her song “If I Were a Boy,” Beyonce argues that many women are trapped in bad relationships and never take the time to question how they truly desire to be treated. To confirm this, Beyonce is attempting to look at her unhealthy relationship as if she were in her significant others shoes. She makes an effort to develop an understanding of what it is like to be the man in the relationship, and see how he can just passively mistreat a girl. Beyonce later discovers that she would treat others how she would want to be treated because she understands how it is to be hurt by someone. She also finds that most guys do not care whether or not their significant others are suffering because of their actions. Beyonce establishes credibility for her lyrics by using the three appeals: pathos, ethos, and logos. These appeals are utilized to influence her audience, not let a man control their lives, but live there lives the way they want, and find a man that can treat them better than they have been treated in their past. Also, the use of repetition and form are used to establish her points within the song. Lastly, she wants her listeners to visualize how it could be if they were the other person, and question whether or not their outlook would be different.
Beyonce uses pathos, the first of the three appeals in her song by using very descriptive phrases. When she states, “I’d listen to her, `cause I know how it hurts,” Beyonce is telling her audience that she understands what it is like to be hurt, and that if she were a boy, she would treat her women better because she could understand where she was coming from. This tugs at the listener’s heart because you can see that she has been emotionally hurt from a past relationship. Also, many people can relate to what she is disclosing. It is human nature for people to get emotionally damaged in a relationship and therefore her feelings are empathized. She also uses syntax by the way she orders her words by telling a story. If the song was not in story form, it would not produce the great impact that it does.
Furthermore, Beyonce utilizes ethos or the appeals based on the writer’s authority and credibility to influence her writing. Because Beyonce is a universally known pop superstar, she posses the ability to influence many people. She establishes her credibility by showing her respect and honesty to her audience. She makes reasonable claims by singing about a topic that most relationships can relate to. This song like many others she has sung, posses the ability to make a difference in the lives of her listeners.
Beyonce also uses the third appeal, logos, based on facts and hard evidence.. As someone who went through a rough time in a relationship herself, she makes it known in her lyrics. She is using reason and common sense in her song also, “I’d kick it with who I wanted and I’d never get confronted for it,” because some men are not concerned whether they are unfaithful or not.
Other than using pathos, ethos, and logos in her song, Beyonce uses rhetoric to persuade her audience. By stating, “It’s a little too late for you to come back, Say it’s just a mistake, think I’d forgive you like that, If you thought I would wait for you, You got it all wrong,” Beyonce is persuading her listeners to take control over their love lives and find someone that is reliable and worth their affection. On the other hand she is persuading us to understand how a man thinks and accept that is just how they are by saying, “But you’re just a boy, And you don’t understand, How it feels to love a girl someday, You wish you were a better man, You don’t listen to her, You don’t care how it hurts.” This could also mean that no matter how much she tried to be in his shoes he’ll never understand where she is coming from, and she’ll never understand why he will not change. Beyonce could possibly be using these words to tell her audience no matter how hard you try to rationalize the situation in your head; a man is a man, and some just can not be changed.
In her video, Beyonce places herself in the man’s shoes by switching roles as she plays the position of a cop and he plays a secretary in an office. She is out all night and he begins to call looking for her, while he is at home being faithful. She never answers her phone because she is out with another man. This goes with her lines, “If I were a boy, I would turn off my phone, Tell everyone it’s broken so they think that I was sleeping alone, I’d put myself first and make the rules as I go, Cause I know that she’d be faithful, waiting for me to come home.” She is using rhetoric to persuade her audience that a man does not care whether he is out all night with another girl because he knows that his significant other will be waiting at home for him. At the end of the music video, they switch roles again and he could care less that she did not like him being out all night with another girl, “But you’re just a boy, And you don’t understand.” Beyonce’s song “If I were a boy” is important because it gives a voice to women that I believe needed to be heard for many years. It is important to bring these types of situations to listeners so they sense they are not the only ones.
Lyrics:
If I were a boy even just for a day
I'd roll out of bed in the morning
And throw on what I wanted
And go drink beer with the guys
And chase after girlsI'd kick it with who I wanted
And I'd never get confronted for it
'Cause they stick up for meIf I were a boyI think I could understand
How it feels to love a girlI swear I'd be a better man
I'd listen to her'Cause I know how it hurts
When you lose the one you wanted'Cause he's taking you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
If I were a boyI would turn off my phone
Tell everyone it's brokenSo they'd think that I was sleeping alone
I'd put myself first
And make the rules as I go
'Cause I know that she'd be faithful
Waiting for me to come home, to come home
If I were a boyI think I could understand
How it feels to love a girlI swear I'd be a better man
I'd listen to her'Cause I know how it huts
When you lose the one you wanted'Cause he's taking you for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
It's a little too late for you to come back
Say it's just a mistake
Think I'd forgive you like that
If you thought I would wait for you
You thought wrong
But you're just a boy
And you don't understand, ohHow it feels to love a girl
Someday you wish you were a better man
You don't listen to her
You don't care how it hurts
Until you lose the one you wanted'Cause you're taking her for granted
And everything you had got destroyed
But you're just a boy
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